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Green and Blue Lavers <br />Lake Elmo is blessed with an array of recreational opportunities, including Lake Elmo <br />Regional Park, Sunfish Lake Park and a system of trails that have been established with <br />the development of recent neighborhoods. The linkages between parks and public open <br />space remain tenuous, however, and the plan suggests a pedestrian "lane," either on <br />existing streets or in new alignments, that would link new perimeter neighborhoods with <br />existing neighborhoods, unifying the entire community. <br />This green system, then, includes both linkages and the spaces to which they connect, <br />such as existing parks in the core and proposed parks and passive open spaces within <br />new neighborhoods. Together, they will form an integrated system that recalls the <br />Minneapolis Park System on a smaller scale. Such a system allows all residents to have <br />easy access to the entire system and the ability to circumnavigate the community on a <br />linear green circuit. <br />A proposed greenbelt will surround the entire community, including new neighborhoods. <br />It will primarily be a passive space, clearly defining the edge of the village.and providing <br />a buffer to surrounding land uses. Trails should be allowed to penetrate the greenbelt, <br />linking to existing neighborhoods and their trail systems, such as those in The Fields of <br />St. Croix. <br />The blue layer refers to the network of water systems that is integrated into the <br />community. Lake Elmo's consultant has prepared a stormwater management plan for <br />the City, designed to handle overland flow and retention requirements. The Master Plan <br />recommends modifying the proposed plan to use the required ponding to create water <br />amenities that integrate with the green system, as opposed to isolating them. <br />There are possible issues related to the operation of the Lake Elmo Airport that may <br />affect the design of the retention ponds. Concerns about waterfowl interfering with the <br />coming and going of aircraft are a foremost concern of the Metropolitan Airports <br />Commission, who regulates the operation of the facility. The use of heavily planted or <br />urban, hard -edged shorelines — as opposed to lawns at the perimeter— are proven <br />strategies for discouraging waterfowl from inhabiting the ponds. <br />LII-9A-9 <br />